PLIST File Documentation

Overview

Feature Value
File Extension .plist
MIME Type application/x-plist
Format Type XML/ Binary
Developed By Apple Inc.
Primary Use Storing configuration data
Editable Yes, with a text editor or property list editor
Encryption Supports encryption in binary form
Standard None official; Apple guidelines
Compatibility Mac OS X and later versions
Element Types Supported Dictionaries, Arrays, Strings, Data, Dates, Boolean, Numbers
Root Element Dictionary
Human Readable Yes, when in XML format
File Generation Manual or through software development tools
Serialization Formats XML, Binary, and JSON (via third-party tools)
Usage Context Application settings, user settings
Automated Editing Tools Property List Editor, Xcode, plutil
Conversion Capability Can be converted to JSON, XML, and other formats programmatically
Associated Programs Xcode, TextEdit, Property List Editor
Character Encoding UTF-8 for XML; variable for binary
Data Types Support Supports complex data types and structures